


The Agony Of Waiting

by Traw



Category: The Streets of San Francisco
Genre: Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-31
Updated: 2017-01-29
Packaged: 2018-05-17 12:07:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 20,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5868811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Traw/pseuds/Traw
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rudy entered the room and lightly placed his hand on the shoulder of his exhausted friend. "Why don't you head home and get a couple of hours sleep. You have been on your feet since this happened. You need to rest! I promise I will contact you if there is any change in his condition." "I just want to sit with him for a few minutes longer, Rudy, just in case he does wake."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

A soft familiar voice called his name, urging him to wake but Steve Keller found he did not have the strength to open his eyes and respond. He allowed himself to drift back into the darkness.

Standing in the doorway of the small Intensive Care room, Rudy silently watched as Mike pleaded with Steve to open his eyes. The S.F. police Captain silently shook his head, knowing the futility of trying to send his officer home to rest but knew he had to try. He briefly contemplated asking the doctors to admit Mike as a patient himself for physical and emotional exhaustion but quickly dismissed the notion, aware that Mike would baulk at such an action, especially while Steve's life was endangered.

Sighing softly, Rudy entered the room and lightly placed his hand on the shoulder of his exhausted friend. "Mike, why don't you head home and get a couple of hours sleep. You have been on your feet since this happened. You need to rest! I promise I will contact you if there is any change in his condition."

The exhausted S.F Lieutenant shook his head, his eyes never leaving the face of his partner as he answered, "I just want to sit with him for a few minutes longer, Rudy, just in case he does wake..."

"Mike…"

Any objection Rudy was about to utter was silenced as Mike Stone looked up into his eyes, the fear of losing Steve evident in the expressive face.

"I'm going to stay for a few more minutes, just in case, but why don't you go home. I will see you back at the bull pen in the morning…" He murmured in what Rudy knew was a dismissal as he returned his attention back to the man in the bed.

Rudy stood silently for a few more moments studying the man in the chair. He knew that Mike would stay at Steve's bedside for the rest of the night but he was also aware in the morning, the Lieutenant would not be headed home to bed. Mike Stone would not rest until he found out what had happened to Steve and caught the people responsible. The risk to his own health would never be a consideration until he was certain Steve was out of danger.


	2. Chapter 2

**18 Hours Earlier**

Pulling his coat closer in a vain attempt to protect himself a little from the icy sting of the winter storm, Mike Stone stepped around the uniformed officer who was guarding the crime scene in the narrow alleyway. He felt his chest tighten as he found himself staring at the red streaks that stained the white washed wall and the burgundy pool of blood adjacent to it. Pushing away the emotions of seeing his partner's blood. Mike forced himself into cop mode as he eyed the scene with a well-seasoned cop's eyes. There were signs that whatever had happened in this alleyway late last night, Steve had put up a fight. Several bins were knocked over, their contents scattered across the narrow gap between the two buildings, several blood smears and droplets on the walls and ground spoke volumes about the ferocity of the fight.

Looking up. Mike noticed several apartment windows that overlooked the scene, several had their curtains closed tightly, almost as if the apartment dwellers did not want to see what was happening below. Mike sighed, if anyone from the apartments above had witnessed the attack, they obviously had not wanted to risk getting involved and not even reported what they had seen. The doctors believed that Steve may have been left lying in the alleyway for at least an hour before he was found.

Turning back to the scene, Mike frowned, "What were you doing here, Steve?" he murmured as he found himself looking again at the congealing pool of blood in which Steve had been found only hours before.

"Mike."

He turned as Rudy joined him, his captain looked as worried and exhausted as he felt.

"I thought you would still be at the hospital." Rudy frowned as he glanced around the scene.

"Steve's out of surgery and has just been taken into recovery," Mike answered softly, "The doctor promised to call me as soon as they have him settled into the ICU."

Rudy nodded, aware that Steve's condition was still listed as critical. He had received a phone update on Keller's condition from the surgeon immediately after Steve had come out of surgery. The bullet that had torn through Keller's chest had lodged in his lung causing it to collapse. The surgeon reassured him that bullet had been successfully removed and the lung repaired and re-inflated, but more concerning was the head injury Steve had sustained. A skull fracture at the back of Steve's head and the resulting subdural hematoma had the doctors concerned. Steve's weakened condition, complicated by blood loss and hypothermia, made the surgeon reluctant to intervene surgically, instead the surgeon had decided to monitor the young Homicide inspector closely in the ICU.

"What was he doing here, Mike?" Rudy asked, echoing the same question Mike had just asked himself.

"I don't know." Mike sighed as he watched the lab boys collecting evidence before he looked back at his captain. "He said he was going to grab a shower and go to bed after I dropped him off at his place last night. He was exhausted, we both were, it's been a long couple of days."

"The Talman case." Rudy murmured succinctly.

"Yeah." Mike nodded, "I don't think Steve or I managed to grab more than two hours sleep in the last two days, trying to get enough evidence to arrest him. We were both looking forward to going home and getting some sleep."

"Mike, Captain Olsen."

Both men turned as the San Francisco police sergeant hurried towards them. "We managed to wake up the bar owner. He's inside waiting for you, I should warn you, he's not too happy about us getting him out of bed so early in the morning."

Mike nodded as they turned and headed towards the alleyway's entrance, before he asked the sergeant, "Any sign of Steve's missing gun and police badge?"

"Not yet, but we will keep searching."

"Thanks Tom." Mike sighed as he walked towards the bar door with Rudy close behind.

Opening the door, they entered the bar, pausing at the door for a moment as they allowed their eyes to adjust to the dimly lit room before they headed across to the table where a surly looking man sat cradling a mug of coffee in his hands.

The bar owner placed his mug of coffee onto the table, glaring at the two San Francisco Homicide officers who had just entered the bar as he grabbed the opened, unlabeled bottle of whiskey that sat on the table in front of him and poured a generous shot of the fiery liquor into his mug. Grimacing after taking a large gulp of his coffee, the bar owner looked over the rim of his cup as Rudy and Mike reached the table and growled, "I already told that other cop who dragged me out of bed, I don't know nothin'. Didn't even know that guy was shot outside until some ditzy woman ran in screaming about one o'clock this mornin' that there was a body in the alleyway. Guess she was wrong 'bout him bein' dead!"

"You didn't check?" Rudy asked, glancing at Mike in surprise before returning his attention back to the man on the other side of the table as he and Mike sat down.

"Nah, why would I? I mean it's not like he was the first dead body found in the alley." The bar owner shrugged, taking another sip of his 'coffee' before placing his mug back down on the table and leaning back in his chair, "So I just did what I usually do, I rang the cops to come and deal with it."

Resisting the urge to comment on the man's lack of concern, Mike reached into his pocket and pulled out a photo of Steve, before sliding across the table to the bar owner. "Was this man in here last night before the shooting?"

Picking up the photo, the bar owner studied before looking across at the two homicide officers sitting opposite and asking, "Hey, is this the guy who was shot?"

Mike nodded silently.

"I heard he was a cop or somethin'."

Swallowing down his anger, Mike ignored the question as he asked again, "Did you see him?"

Shrugging when he received no answer to his question, the bar owner handed the photo back to Mike as he answered, "Yeah, he was here."

"When?" Mike demanded when the bar owner fell silent.

"He came in about ten, I think."

"And?"

"He sat at the bar and ordered a drink. He nursed it for about an hour while he was waiting for the other guy to arrive.'

"Other guy?"

"Yeah."

"Can you describe the other guy he was waiting for?" Mike asked, leaning closer.

"Hey man, in this job one customer looks like the all the others, if you get my drift." the bar owner grinned.

"Try!" Mike growled, his patience wearing thin.

The bar owner shrugged. "Dark hair, average height, about thirty, wearing jeans and a blue shirt. Seemed the nervous type. Kept glancing at the door when they went to the corner booth, after he arrived, to talk."

"Did you hear what they were talking about?" Rudy asked.

"I don't eavesdrop on my customers' conversations!" the bar owner objected as he picked up his mug and took another slip before lowering it and admitting softly, "Anyway, I couldn't of eavesdropped on their conversation even if I wanted to… they stopped talkin' every time I went near them. But whatever they were talking about, it seemed pretty intense. The second guy seemed scared, real scared. After they finished talking, he got up and scurried out of here like a rat scared he was about to be caught by the cat. The cop left a few minutes later. Guess he must have got shot just after he left."

"What time did they leave?" Mike asked softly.

The man shrugged again, "About midnight." He answered as he watched the door open and a young uniformed officer enter.

"Excuse me, Lieutenant Stone, you just received a message over the radio requesting that you return to the hospital immediately."

"Go!" Rudy ordered softly as Mike jumped to his feet, "I will finish here and then join you."

Mike swallowed hard and nodded, before following the young officer towards the door as Rudy called out, "And Mike, please keep me updated on Steve's condition."


	3. Chapter 3

Stepping out of the elevator, Mike entered the Intensive Care Unit and hurried towards the nurse's desk where the surgeon was standing, studying a patient's chart. Mike saw the nurse, sitting at the desk, softly speak to the surgeon, nodding in his direction before the surgeon turned and hurried down the corridor to meet him.

"Doc, what's happened? Is Steve…?"

"Inspector Keller's condition is stable at the moment," the doctor quickly interrupted Mike's anxious questions, hoping to reassure the worried man about his partner's condition, quickly glancing over his shoulder before returning his attention to Mike, "That's not why I asked you to return, Lieutenant."

"When, why?"

"Our records state the Inspector Keller is single and you are listed as his Next of Kin." the doctor began, hesitantly.

"He is and I am." Mike frowned in confusion.

"Are you sure?" The surgeon asked as he threw another quick glance over his shoulder.

"Positive!" Mike answered, his confusion growing as he looked over the surgeon's shoulder, attempting to see what the doctor kept looking at, but only seeing a young woman in the waiting area waiting to visit a patient, "What's this all about?"

"A young woman has arrived in the unit, insisting to be allowed to see Inspector Keller. She claims she is his wife."

"His wife?" Mike asked in surprise.

The surgeon nodded, "She's in the waiting area, I thought I should contact you first before I allowed her into his room."

"Thanks, Doc." Mike nodded before he turned and walked towards the young woman sitting in the waiting area.

The young woman looked up as he approached and quickly dabbed away her tears with the tissue she had scrunched up in her hand. Rising from her chair, she quickly crossed the room and to meet him. "Mike? … I'm sorry I should have said Lieutenant Stone. You have to be! Steve described you perfectly. Please, tell them to let me go to Steve, I have to be with him!"

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" Mike asked, studying the distraught woman. She appeared to be a little younger than his partner, tall and thin with long blonde hair, definitely the type of girl who would have caught Steve's eye.

"I'm Monica … Monica Keller, Steve's wife." She forced a small trembling smile before momentarily pausing when the Homicide lieutenant failed to react to her name. She frowned, "Steve didn't tell you, did he?"

"No, he didn't." Mike answered, watching her closely.

"I knew he wanted to keep our marriage a secret until he found the right time to tell people," she whispered, swallowing hard as she struggled to stop the tears falling again as she looked at Mike and added softly, "but I just never realized that he had decided to keep it a secret from you as well."

"Why don't we take a seat and you can tell me where and when you met Steve and where and where you were married?" Mike suggested as he gently took her arm and led her back to the chairs.

She nodded as she sat down and waited until Mike was seated beside her, before she wiped her eyes again and picked up the manila folder she has left on the seat beside her, fingering the vanilla colored folder as she spoke. "We met at a party about eighteen months ago, I'm afraid I got a little tipsy and Steve graciously offered to drive me home. At first we began to date casually but in the last six months or so things started to get serious." She smiled shyly as she continued, "Then a month ago, when Steve had the long weekend off of work, he suggested that we head to Las Vegas and elope. We got married in a little twenty-four-hour marriage chapel called The Chapel of Flowers"

Mike nodded but remained silent, as he remembered the long weekend Steve had taken off. He had told Mike he was going skiing, in fact, Mike had teased him about the possibility of him returning after the weekend with a broken leg as he had helped Steve pack his skies into the car.

Biting her bottom lip, she opened the folder she held on her lap and removed a piece of paper, handing it to Mike as she continued, "This is our marriage certificate. I knew Steve had not told anyone about our wedding, so I brought it with me because I thought I might need it to prove to the doctors that I am Steve's wife."

Studying the certificate, Mike immediately recognized Steve's untidy scrawl of his signature, he had seen the same signature on all of Steve's reports. Looking back up at the young woman who was watching him closely, he asked, "Mind if I hold onto this for a while?"

"So you can check it out?" she asked bluntly before she sighed and nodded, "Not that I can blame you but you will find it is completely legitimate."

Placing the certificate carefully back into the manila folder, Mike looked up at Monica and asked, "How did you know Steve was here?"

"The news broadcast on the radio. The newsreader said that Steve was found shot and rushed here in a critical condition." She answered softly as she looked down at the tissue she held in her hands and began to twist it. Ignoring her tears that were now falling freely. "I should have known something was wrong when he didn't come home after meeting with the man who phoned him last night. I just thought he had got caught up on a case at work when he didn't come home. He warned me that might happen sometimes."

"He got a phone call to meet someone?"

"Just after we went to bed." Monica sniffled, "Some guy wanting to meet Steve at a bar."

"Did Steve say why or tell you who the man he was meeting was?" Mike asked gently.

Monica shook her head and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand as she continued to stare at the tissue she was playing with in her hand, "No, he just said he had to go out for a little while but he would be back. I…I think he called the guy on the phone Ian a couple of times when he was talking to him."

"Ian?"

"Yeah," Monica answered before looking up and looking at mike hopefully, "Will that help catch whoever did this?"

"It might." Mike smiled before he added gently, "Have the doctors told you that Steve isn't allowed to have any visitors at the moment, not even me?"

"Yeah," Monica whispered softly, "But I was hoping…"

Mike nodded, "Unfortunately that's not going to happen, not until I check out that you are Steve's wife, so why don't I give you a lift home. I promise that I will let you know immediately if there is any change in Steve's condition and will bring you back to the hospital as soon as I can confirm you are married to him."

Looking towards Steve's hospital room, the young woman hesitated before she looked back at Mike and reluctantly nodding. "I am his wife," she stated emphatically again before she slowly rose from her seat and sighed, "but I understand. You promise to bring me straight back as soon as you confirm that I am telling you the truth?"

Mike nodded.

"Okay, please take me home."

SOSF SOSF SOSF

Sitting in his car, Mike watched as Monica walked up the stairs to Steve's apartment before she took out a set of keys from her handbag and unlocked the door. She turned and shyly waved at him before she opened the door and entered the apartment, closing the door behind her. He sighed as he continued to stare up at Steve's apartment, uncertain if the story Monica had just told him was true and hurt if it was true, why Steve had not told him. His thoughts were interrupted when the radio crackled to life and dispatch requested he join Rudy at an old apartment house on 20th street. Picking up the mic, he acknowledged the order, before he glanced towards the closed front door of Steve's apartment again. He sighed as he turned and looked over his shoulder for other cars before he pulled out into traffic.

SOSF SOSF SOSF

Climbing out his car, Mike walked to where Rudy was waiting. "How's Steve?"

"Stable." Mike answered as Rudy turned and began to lead him around the back of a dilapidated old apartment building.

Rudy frowned, "Then why did the doctor request that you to return to the hospital so urgently?"

"Because Steve's wife had arrived and was asking to see him." Mike answered softly.

Rudy stopped walking and turned to Mike in surprise, "Keller's married? Since when?"

"Since, according to his wife and the marriage certificate she was carrying, a month ago. She claims that they eloped in Las Vegas the long weekend Steve had off last month."

"Marriage certificate?"

"I checked the signature, it looks likes Steve's but I will drop it off when we get back to the station to Charlie for a writing comparison."

Glancing down at his watch, Rudy frowned, "Too early to check with Nevada's Birth, Death and Marriages."

Mike nodded, "I also want to check with the wedding chapel where she claims they were married."

"You don't think her claims of marrying Keller are legit?"

"I just don't know, Rudy." Mike sighed before he turned and continued walking, changing the subject, "What have we got?"

"Dead body, male, dark hair, average height, about thirty, wearing jeans and a blue shirt, sound familiar?" Rudy told him as they reached the thickly overgrown area behind the back of the building,

"Our mystery man whom Steve met with last night."

"Shot at close range in the face. The Medical Examiner has given us a tentative T.O.D between midnight and two."

"Just after Steve was shot."

Rudy nodded.


	4. Chapter 4

Closing the door behind her, Monica quickly crossed to the window and gently lifting the curtain a little, peeked out as she watched Mike drive away. She waited until Mike's car disappeared from sight before she allowed the curtain to fall back into place as she allowed her handbag to drop to the floor before she turned and looked around the comfortably furnished room, that she had come to know so well in the last couple of weeks. Shaking her head, she smiled, as she began to wander around the room, her fingers trailing over the furniture, before she paused to study the small collection of framed photos sitting atop the overflowing bookcase. Walking across to the sofa, she picked up the psychology and police science textbooks that were laying open on the small coffee table, closing each and looking at the title before she carefully placed them down again. Straightening back up, she looked around again and shook her head. The apartment had a definite bachelor pad feel about it, it desperately needed a woman's touch. She giggled as she imagined Keller's reaction if he came home to his apartment re- decorated with pretty little knickknacks and there were pink fluffy pillows adorning his sofa, maybe even a big white teddy bear holding a red heart, sitting right in the middle of his bed. Her giggles faded away as her thoughts returned to the young Homicide inspector lying critically injured in the hospital.

She jumped in surprise and spun around as the phone rang. Hurrying across the room, she coughed to clear her throat before she picked it up and answered in her sweetest voice, "Hello, Monica Keller speaking, may I help you?" She sighed as she recognized the voice of the caller before she answered his terse questions. "No, I don't know what went wrong last night, all I know is Keller was shot after his meeting with Bardado." She sighed loudly running her hand over the back of her neck, before she snapped angrily. "No, I couldn't talk to him, he's in critical condition." Her hand tightened around the receiver as she tried to control her rising temper as her boss spoke again. "OF course I told them I was his wife but the doctor refused to let me see him, instead the doctor must have called Stone." She paused as she listened to her boss's angry reply before she growled, "Of course Stone's suspicious." She rolled her eyes as she listened to her boss's next predictable question before she answered, "Yes, I gave him the marriage certificate and I fed him the story about how Keller and I are married." She sighed again as she listened to the worried response. "Of course, he didn't believe me, he's not stupid, Keller is his partner and most partners tell each other everything even things they don't tell their wives, so he's probably going to check with the chapel in Vegas and Birth, Death and Marriages in Nevada as soon as they open." She frowned as she rushed to reassure the angry man on the other end of the line. "Relax, everything is in place, our cover is airtight. No mattered how deeply anyone, including Stone digs, the marriage is going to look perfectly legit." She turned and looked towards the window she snapped impatiently, "No, I don't know where Bardado is at the moment but I will find him, I'm sure the little slug is trying to hide under a rock somewhere, especially if he set Keller up last night. I promise when I find him, you will be the first to know, Boss." Clenching her teeth as she heard the call disconnect loudly in her ear, she turned and slammed the phone down.

Turning back to the window, she began to unconsciously chew her bottom lip, silently conceding that Hilleman was right, they needed to know precisely what went wrong last night and if the case, they had worked so hard on for so long, was now blown and the only ones who could tell them were Bardado or Steve. She had to find out. Reaching behind her back, she removed the gun she had hidden there, quickly checking the gun's chambers to ensure it was fully loaded before she returned it to its holster and pulled her loose fitting blouse back over it. Crossing the room, she snatched up her handbag before she turned and headed towards the door. She needed answers and she needed them fast.

SOSF SOSF SOSF

Holding up his hand in a silent order for the morgue assistants to stop as they wheeled the body strapped to the gurney out of the alleyway, Mike grabbed the edge of the bloodstained sheet and lifted it up just enough to look at the dead man's face. "Tommy Bardado." he murmured as he lowered the sheet and nodded to the attendants to take away the victim

"Do you know him?"

"Yeah," Mike answered as he nodded for the two attendants to take the body away, "Tommy Bardado, he's a small time drug dealer and a wanna-be pimp, who likes to think he is running with the big boys with a record that goes back over twenty years, but he is also one of Steve's most reliable snitches."

"Any ideas why he might have been meeting with Keller last night?" Rudy asked as Mike watched the attendants wheel the body away.

Mike shook his head.

"Maybe a case that Keller or the two of you were working on?"

"None." Mike answered truthfully as he returned his attention back to the crime scene.

"What about some tip that Keller was chasing up but had not told you about yet." Rudy persisted.

Mike shook his head and sighed as the young woman's, who claimed to be Steve's wife, words echoed in his head, "A month ago, when Steve had the long weekend off of work, he suggested that we head to Las Vegas and elope. We got married in a little twenty-four-hour marriage chapel." There seemed to be a lot of things that Steve had not told him.

"Lieutenant Stone, Captain Olsen."

Charlie's excited shout pulled Mike from his morose thoughts and he hurried across to where the forensic scientist was standing, , poking at a small round hole in the wall with his small flick knife until he teased out the remains of a bullet. Catching the bullet as it fell with his gloved hand, he held it up triumphantly for the two Homicide officers to see. "Looks like a .38 but I can confirm it once I get it back to the lab."

Rudy frowned, "So he was possibly killed with Keller's missing gun?"

"Maybe someone's trying to send a message." Mike answered as he turned and stared at the chalk outline of a body and the drying pool of blood that indicated where Bardado had fallen several hours before, "But to who and why?"

"That's for us to find out." Rudy reminded him softly as they turned and walked out of the alley.


	5. Chapter 5

Unbuttoning the first three top buttons of her blouse before running her fingers through her hair to give it a tussled look, Monica quickly adjusted the Porsche's rear view mirror and glanced into before she nodded to herself. Opening the car door, she climbed out and smiled demurely at a young police officer standing guard at the entrance of the alleyway next to the bar who was openly staring at her in admiration as she deliberately smoothed down her skirt. She turned and closed the car door, before turning back around and slowly walking across the footpath to the open bar door. She paused a moment as she stepped inside to allow her eyes to adjust to the dim lighting before she walked across to the bar and sat down on the barstool as she watched the bar owner lift the chairs from off the few scattered tables and place them onto the floor.

"We ain't open yet."

"I don't want a drink, just some information." she told him softly as she reached into the top of her blouse and pulled two fifty-dollar bills that had been tucked into her bra before she daintily placing them on the bar. She smiled as she saw the greedy glint in the bar owner's eyes as he licked his lips and stared at the money.

"What sort of information?" he demanded as he crossed to the bar and reached for the money.

"Uh, uh, ah." She grinned as she gently swatted his hand away and placed her hand over the money, "No money until you tell me about the guy who was shot in the alley and the man he was meeting with last night."

"You mean the cop that was shot?"

"Yeah, I mean the cop who was shot." She nodded.

He glanced greedily at the money again before he looked back at her and asked, "What do ya wanna know?"

"I want to know everything you told the cops this morning when they asked you about him and then I want you to tell me everything you didn't tell the cops when they asked you about him!"

"Not much to tell. The cop came in about ten, ordered a drink and sat nursing it until the other guy arrived an hour later. They talked for a while until the other guy scurried out of here like the gutter rat he is and the cop followed a few minutes later. A couple of hours later some broad from outside comes in screaming about a body in the alley."

"Okay that's the version you gave the cops, now tell me what really happened." She smiled as she pushed one of the notes towards him.

"Okay, okay," the bar owner muttered as he snatched up the fifty-dollar note and shoved it into his pocket before wiping his lips the back of his hand as he stared at the remaining fifty-dollar note on the bar. "The cop was waiting for Bardado."

"Bardado?" Monica asked innocently.

"Yeah, he's a small time dope dealer who likes to try and act like one of the big boys, always said one day it was going to get him whacked and last night after he met with the cop, I guess it did."

"He's dead?" Monica frowned.

"Deader than a door-nail, someone whacked him with the cop's gun, happened not long after the cop was hit, just a couple of blocks down the street. Heaps of cops swarming all over the place."

"You sure Bardado's dead and it's not just street talk?"

"Ohh yeah, Bardado's dead. One of my boys found his body and later heard the cop identify him before they took the body away." The bar owner nodded before he shrugged and shook his head. "Always knew one day that little sleaze ball would upset the wrong guy and get himself whacked, never expected that he would get a cop whacked with him."

"You said that the cop and Bardado talked, any idea what about?"

"Not a clue, they clammed up every time I walked past them but I did see Bardado hand the cop something."

"Did you see what it was?" Monica asked leaning closer.

"A piece of paper, the cop didn't even look at it, simply slipped it into his pocket. That's when Bardado got up and left. The cop followed him out a few minutes later. Next thing I know is a couple of hours all hell broke out with the broad running in here screaming about the cop's body in the alley, guess he wasn't as dead as she thought." The bar owner frowned as he looked at Monica and asked, "Hey, why are you so interested anyway?"

"Let's just say I have my reasons," Monica smiled sweetly, reaching into her blouse and removing another fifty-dollar note. Placing it with one still on the counter, she smiled sweetly as she slid it across the bar to the owner, "and leave it at that, shall we."

Grinning, the owner nodded as he snatched the two notes up and shoved them into his pocket, "Hey whatever you say, Sister."

"Good man." Monica patted his hand lightly before she rose from the bar stool and walked out of the bar.

SOSF SOSF SOSF

Closing the latest case file, Steve had been working on, and placing it on top of the small stack of files he had already read, Mike removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose tiredly. None of Steve's reports mentioned a meeting with Tommy Bardado. Glancing down at the marriage certificate Monica had given him earlier, he sighed, the phone call he had made to Nevada's Birth, Deaths and Marriages had confirmed that the marriage had been registered with them four weeks before and the marriage chapel where Monica had said they were married also confirmed the ceremony had happened there. He frowned, so why had Steve kept it a secret? Launching himself out of the chair, he snatched the certificate from his desk before he opened the case file and removed a page containing Steve's signature. He turned and headed down to the lab.

SOSF SOSF SOSF

Looking up from his microscope as Mike entered the lab, Charlie smiled, "I was just about to give you a call. I just finished running the ballistics on the bullet the doctors removed from Keller and the bullet we pulled out of the wall at the other crime scene and got a match for both. Both bullets were fired from Keller's own gun. I haven't received the bullet from our latest victim's autopsy yet but I am expecting it will also be a match."

"So Steve was shot with his own weapon." Mike mused softly.

"I also found this is Keller's pocket." Charlie announced as he turned and picked up a clear plastic evidence bag containing a slip of paper, smudged with blood before he placed it on the bench in front of Mike. "Not sure what it means."

Reaching into his pocket, Mike removed his glasses and put them on before he leaned over the bench and studied the numbers and letters that had been scribbled onto the paper before looking back up at Charlie. "A phone number, maybe?"

Charlie shook his head, "Not enough numbers, I had also thought maybe some type of co-ordinates, especially with the combination of letters, but it's too long for that. I dusted it for prints and found two sets, one of which belonged to Keller and the other to…"

"A crim named Tommy Bardado." Mike finished for him.

"Yeah," Charlie confirmed, "how did you know?"

"Anything else?" Mike asked, ignoring the question.

Charlie shook his head, "Not yet but I am still processing evidence from both crime scenes. I'll send you a report as soon as I am done."

Looking down at the two pieces of paper he held in his hand. "One more thing, I would like a signature comparison between these two signatures." He sighed as he handed Charlie the marriage certificate that Monica had given him earlier.

"Keller's married?" Charlie grinned as he looked down at the marriage certificate Mike had just given him, "Son of a gun, he certainly kept that quiet…" He paused as he looked back at Mike, his eyes wide in surprise as he asked, "Or do you think this might be a forgery?"

"I just want to know if that's Keller's signature or not!" Mike snapped as he handed the forensic scientist the case report, Steve had signed just a few days before.

Placing the marriage certificate and the report side by side on his work bench, Charlie picked up his magnifying glass before he began to study the signature on the marriage certificate closely before he studied Steve's messy scrawled signature at the bottom of the report Mike had brought down for comparison. Returning his attention back to the signature on the marriage certificate again, he frowned.

"Well?" Mike demanded impatiently.

'Well," Charlie answered slowly as he looked up at the agitated Lieutenant, "If I had to swear to this in a court of law I would have to say that I am one hundred percent certain that the signatures are a match. Both documents were signed by Keller."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive." The forensic expert nodded as he pushed the marriage certificate and the report across the table towards Mike. He waited a moment until Mike put his glasses back on before he handed him the magnifying glass. "See the distinct swirl at the start of the letter K and the downward slope at the bottom of the letter E at the end of his first name." Mike nodded as he looked at the same two letters on each of the documents as Charlie continued, "Also notice where he lifts the pen between the letters S and T in his first name."

"Both signatures are identical." Mike sighed as he lowered the magnifying glass back down onto the table and picked up the marriage certificate, Steve's report and the manila folder containing the forensic findings of the evidence found at both crime scenes as the forensic scientist's phone began to ring. "Thanks Charlie." he said softly as Charlie waved and answered the phone.

SOSF SOSF SOSF

Carefully adjusting her cap and smoothing down the heavily starched 'borrowed' white uniform she was wearing, Monica took a deep breath as she felt the elevator jolt to a stop. She quickly glanced down at the tray in her hand to reassure herself that her gun was concealed by the white cloth that she had carefully placed across the top as the doors slid open and she stepped out. Moving confidently through the unit, she released a small breath of relief as she passed the empty nurse's station and continued to walk unchallenged to Steve's hospital room. Pausing at the door, she glanced around, ensuring nobody was watching before she opened the door and quickly slipped inside.

Closing the door firmly behind her, she took a moment to lean against it as she stared at the young man lying in the bed. Steve's face was obscured by an oxygen mask that covered the lower half of his face, as a heart monitor beeped softly beside the bed, the two drips hung above the patient, their tubes snaking down to disappear beneath the surgical tapes that secured the IV needles in both arms and a thick plastic chest tube emerged through the pristine white dressing that covered most of the right side of Steve's chest and disappeared over the side of the bed. "My God, Steve, what happened last night?" she whispered as she moved closer to the bed.

Placing the tray down on the bedside table, she quickly turned and picked up Steve's hand, being careful not to knock the IV needle as she studied the bruised face she had come to know so well during the last few weeks since they had met. Licking her lips, she swallowed hard as her thumb gently caressed Steve's hand as she sighed, "This wasn't supposed to happen, Keller, you were just supposed to just meet with Bardado and get the information. Now Bardado's dead and you are here in the hospital." Reaching up to gently brush a stray strand of hair from Steve's forehead with her fingers, Monica pleaded, "Come on, partner, I really need you to wake up. I need you to tell me what Bardado gave you and just what the hell went wrong at that bar last night. Damn it, Steve I need to know just how badly our case has been compromised."

She froze as Steve opened his eyes and stared blankly up at her. "Steve?" she whispered softly as she leaned over the bed to try and ensure she was in his line of sight.

He groaned softly and suddenly began to seize, shaking the bed violently as several alarms began to fill the air.

"Steve!" she gasped, shocked, as the door opened and a nurse rushed in.

"Who are you and what happened?" The nurse demanded as she hurried across to the bed, glancing at her seizing patient before looking up at the startled nurse standing next to him.

"I...I don't know." Monica stammered backing away as she watched the nurse pull the pillows away from under Steve's head before reaching back to kill the alarm on the heart monitor. "I heard a noise as I walked past the room and when I came in I found him seizing."

Nodding distractedly as she tried to restrain Steve, to prevent him from hurting himself as he body shook uncontrollably and reaching for the nurse call button to ring for more assistance, the nurse glanced over her shoulder and ordered, "What are you doing still standing here, get out there and page Dr Owens!"

Monica nodded as she turned and hurried out of the room, dodging around two nurses as they entered. Hurrying down the corridor, she glanced at now empty nurses station and the phone sitting on the desk as she forced herself to walk past and continue towards the elevator.


	6. Chapter 6

Walking into the bullpen, Mike headed towards his office, he paused as he reached his office door and slowly turned around to look at his partner's untidy desk. Changing direction, he walked across to Steve's desk and sat down. Reading through the files laying scattered across the desk, Mike sighed as he pushed the last file aside. There was no mention of Bardado in any of the current cases Steve was working on or was preparing for court. Pushing the last file away, he leaned back and removed his glasses. "What were you up to last night, Buddy boy? And why all the secrets?" he murmured as he stared at the files he just read on the desk.

Suddenly he sat upright and put on his glasses again before he lent forward and opened the top desk drawers, quickly rummaging through it. Finding nothing to explain what was going on with his partner, he slammed the drawer closed, ignoring the curious looks from the other men in the room as he opened the next drawer and began to search its contents. He frowned when he found a small black notebook bound closed by a rubber band around it, carefully hidden beneath the sheets of paper, empty folders, pens paper clips and other stationary items that Steve kept there.

Placing the small notebook onto the desk, Mike removed the rubber band and opened it. Inside he found a list names, including the names of several prominent judges, as well as several lawyers, police officers and well-known criminals, jotted down in Steve's untidy scrawl. Some of the names had been crossed out, while others had a small question mark beside them but two of the names had been circled. His frown deepened with confusion as he flicked through the pages and discovered Steve had jotted down dates, times and what appeared to be meeting places complete with the initials of several people listed on the first page jotted beside each meeting. Several of the notations also contained containing the strange combinations of letters and numbers that had been found on the slip of paper found in Steve's pocket.

Pushing the open drawer closed, Mike picked up the small notebook and stood up before he turned and hurried across to where the Inspectors' 'sign-in' folder was sitting, open, next to next to the coffee pot on the small table. Grabbing the file, he took it into his office, closing the door firmly behind him. Dropping the notebook, he had found in Steve's drawer, onto his desk, he sat down and opened the sign- in folder before pulling Steve's notebook closer and opening it to the pages that contained the meetings and the dates. Picking up his pen, Mike began to list the dates and times Steve had listed with times that Steve had worked with the dates in the 'sign-in' book showing the hours that Steve had worked.

His hand tightened around the pen he was holding as he studied the times and dates, each time and date Steve had entered into his notebook, corresponded with times he was not on duty. Whatever Steve was up to; it was evident to Mike that his partner did not want him to know.

Snatching up the phone as it began to ring, he snapped, "Homicide, Stone." His knuckles whitened as his grip on the phone tightened in fear as he listened to the doctor's urgent request for him to return to the hospital as soon as possible. Rising from his seat, he opened his desk drawer and quickly placed Steve's notebook inside, before closing it and locking it securely. Reassuring the doctor that he was on his way, he hung up and grabbed his coat and hat before he ran out of the office.

SOSF SOSF SOSF

Chewing on her thumbnail, Monica stared through the windshield at the hospital entrance doors. In her rush to get out of Steve's room, she had left her gun behind on the tray where she had hidden it. She knew the gun could not be traced back to her or the agency, they had made certain that nothing in this operation could be traced. She should have left the gun secured in the car but instead, in her rush to try and talk to Steve, she had believed that she could simply keep the gun out of sight. It was a damn rookie mistake!

Cursing at her own stupidity under her breath, she tugged the nurse's cap free and tossed it next to her on the passenger seat before she reached for the ignition key, uncertain of what her next move should be.

She paused, her hand hovering on the key as she looked back at the hospital building. The bartender had told her that he had seen Bardado slip Steve a piece of paper, which Steve had slipped into his pocket. Whatever information that piece of paper had contained was important enough to have gotten Keller shot and Bardado killed.

She felt a pang of guilt ripple through her soul as she remembered Steve seizing in the bed but she took a deep breath and pushed the upsetting memory away as she forced herself to concentrate about the case and how to stop it from slipping through their fingers.

Starting the car's engine, she frowned as she tapped the steering wheel with her thumb as she mulled over her next move. She knew it was police procedure to send an injured victim-of-crime's clothing to the forensic lab for examination but she needed to retrieve that slip of paper that Bardado had given Steve. Biting her bottom lip, she knew she would be taking a chance but she could not allow whatever evidence was on that piece of paper getting into the wrong hands. Not now, not when they were so close to wrapping up the case. Easing the car out of its parking spot, she knew she would have to take the risk.


	7. Chapter 7

"Doctor, what's happened? Is Steve alright?" The questions tumbled out of Mike's mouth as he reached the nurse's station where the surgeon was waiting for him. His heart racing after imagining and trying to prepare himself for the worst possible scenarios during his dash to the hospital, the doctors urgent request for him to come straight away was still echoing in his ears.

"Lieutenant Stone, I think it would be better if we talk in my office." The surgeon suggested quietly, nodding at the nurse to join them as he led Mike towards the small doctor's office near Steve's room. Holding open the door, he waited for Mike and the nurse to enter before he followed them into the room and closed the door firmly behind him.

"Doc, what's going on? Has something happened to Steve?" Mike asked again as he watched the doctor walk around the desk and sit down.

"Inspector Keller's condition is still critical and unfortunately he has suffered a minor set back." The doctor began slowly as he nodded for Mike to take a seat before he continued, "Unfortunately he had a severe reaction to one of the anesthetic medications that he was given in surgery, causing him to suffer a seizure." Seeing the look of fear on Mike's face, the surgeon rushed on to reassure him, "We were able to stop the seizure and he will be monitored closely until the drug has completely cleared his system but I don't expect him to suffer any more seizures or there to be any lasting effects from the seizure he suffered but that's not why I asked you to come." He told Mike as he reached down and unlocked the small desk drawer before lifting out a large kidney tray and placing it on the desk. Mike stared at the 38 special sitting in the tray as the doctor continued, "When Inspector Keller began to seize, it set off the monitors he is connected to not only in his room but also at the nurse's desk to alert them that the patient is suffering a medical emergency."

Mike nodded silently as he looked back up at the surgeon.

"When the nurse entered the room, she discovered a nurse leaning over the patient."

"A nurse working on the ward?" Mike asked, already knowing the answer as he pulled out his notebook and opened it before taking his pen out of his pocket.

"No." the nurse shrugged. "I don't think I have ever seen her before but to be honest I really did not get a good look at her, I was more focused on the patient so I'm not really sure."

"Did you see what she was doing when you came into the room?"

The nurse frowned at Mike's question before she slowly answered, "Nothing, I think she must have been talking to him. She seemed startled when he was seizing and unsure of what to do." the nurse shook her head, "I asked her what she was doing and told her to go to the desk and page the doctor. I thought that's what she was doing when she left the room but I guess not, she must have just left the ward instead."

"Do you think you could give me her description?" Mike asked as he finished jotting down the information she had already given him.

"She was about my height, maybe a couple of inches shorter, blond hair, no, it might have been brown. she paused and shook her head, "I'm sorry I know I am probably not much help, I'm just not sure, I didn't pay much attention to her. I just thought she was another nurse; I was more concerned with Inspector Keller then…"

Mike forced a small smile as he gently patted the nurse's hand. "You did the right thing."

The nurse swallowed and nodded as the surgeon pointed to the gun in the tray. "After we managed to stabilize Inspector Keller, we noticed the gun in the kidney tray sitting on the bedside table. I brought the tray and the gun straight in here and locked it in desk and then called you. I wore gloves when I picked up the tray and none of my nurses touched it."

"I have to admit i love cops shows and knew not to touch it without gloves on so i wouldn't leave my own fingerprints." the surgeon admitted sheepishly, blushing just a little as he rushed on, "Now if you can excuse us, we have patients who need us."

"Thank you." Mike answered as the doctor rose from his chair and walked to the door, with the nurse close behind. "Can I use your phone?"

"Of course, just dial '1' and tell the operator the number you want to call."

Mike waited until the doctor and nurse left before he picked the phone and dialed '1', before requesting to be connected with Rudy.

SOSF SOSF SOSF

Sitting down next to the young woman on the park bench along the Redwood trail, the San Francisco police commander stretched out his legs and crossed them as he casually looked around. "The Botanical Garden always looks so beautiful this time of the year." he said quietly.

Monica nodded as she glanced at the lush green ferns and tall redwood trees that surrounded them before she turned and looked at him. "Beautiful." she answered succinctly before she asked softly, "Any progress with the Keller and Bardado shootings? We both know they are connected."

"Not yet, it's still in the preliminary stage. We are still processing evidence, talking to potential witnesses, trying to work out the actual timelines." McKeller explained patiently, "I'll let you know as soon as we get a lead."

"As soon as you get a lead." Monica parroted quietly as she turned and looked up at the small bird chirping on a branch of the large redwood tree on the opposite side of the trail, "Like the piece of paper your lab guys found in Keller's jacket pocket?"

"How did you know about that?" The police commander asked in surprise, staring at her.

Monica turned back to face him, ignoring his question, as she demanded coldly, "I want that piece of paper, Allen."

"It's evidence." McKeller protested.

"Our evidence not yours." Monica reminded the police Commander firmly before she turned and looked at him, "or do you want me to make the request an official request? How do you think it would look for you if I have to go back to my Assistant Director and tell him that you are now refusing to co-operate in this investigation?"

"No, no, that's not necessary, the Chief has ordered me to co-operate fully with your investigation. I'll get you whatever evidence that Keller had in his pocket last night when he was shot," The police Commander rushed to reassure her before adding, "It's just that Mike Stone is already all over this case, he wants to know what's going on and what his partner was up to that ended up with Keller being shot. He's not going to stop until he finds out."

"Of course Stone is all over the case." Monica said softly, "And we both know the real reason why."

"Stone's not a dirty cop." McKeller protested vehemently before he took a deep breath and looked around, fearful someone may have overheard his outburst but they were still alone. Turning back to the young woman watching him closely, he lowered his voice as he continued, "I've known Mike Stone for as long as I have been a cop, and I have been a cop for over twenty years and if there is one cop who is honest, fair and has more integrity than any other person I have ever known, it's Mike. I just wish we had more cops like him."

"That's what Keller keeps trying to convince me," the young woman sighed, "and we both know the only reason why he agreed to investigate this case with us was to clear his partner's name. I just hope after what happened last night, his trust in Stone is justified."

"What do I say when Mike asks what happened to the evidence?" McKeller asked, "And he will ask. He is going to turn this town upside-down searching for whoever shot his partner."

"Keller is my partner as well." Monica snapped as she rose to her feet, "Tell Stone the lab boys lost it or the rats ate it for all I care! Just get me the evidence, and not just that piece of paper, I want all the evidence collected at both Keller's and Bardado's crime scenes."

"Is that really necessary?"

"Until we know just who is involved in this ring, I think it is, especially after Keller was hit last night. I think someone involved with this knew Keller and Bardado was a threat and decided to take them both out and if there is any evidence of just who was responsible for the hit on Keller and Bardado, I don't want it disappearing." Monica ordered quietly. "Also I want copies of Stone's, Olsen's and the responding officers' reports and notes."

"Where will you be?" McKeller asked as Monica turned and began to walk away,

Turning back, Monica smiled sweetly at the San Francisco Police Commander, "At Keller's apartment, after all where else would I be, I am Steve Keller's wife."

"Yeah, Keller's wife." McKeller muttered as he watched the young woman walk away.


	8. Chapter 8

'What do you mean all the evidence is missing?" Mike's angry demand greeted Rudy as he entered Mike's office. He paused, momentarily uncertain if he should interrupt as Mike continued angrily, "Just how the hell did you manage to lose all the evidence from two different crime scenes?"

"I don't know." Charlie answered running his hand nervously over his face. Glancing nervously over his shoulder as Rudy entered the room before he turned back to Mike and tried to explain. "I secured all the evidence in the evidence locker including the gun found in Keller's hospital this morning after. I was intending to examine it straight after I grabbed some lunch. I only left the lab for a few minutes but when I returned I noticed the evidence locker was unlocked and open. When I checked the box of evidence was gone."

"You lost the evidence from Keller's case?" Rudy asked, shocked, as he looked between the two men.

"And the evidence collected from the Bardado crime scene!" Mike glared at lead forensic specialist.

"It's not my fault!" Charlie protested loudly, rising to his feet, "The evidence locker was locked when I left. As soon as I discovered the theft I came straight here to report it,"

"Who has a key?"

"What?" Charlie blinked in surprise as he turned and looked at Rudy.

"I asked who else has a key to the evidence locker in the lab?" Rudy asked again softly, casting a look at Mike in a silent warning for him to remain quiet.

"Just myself and the other members of my lab team and of course there's the skeleton key that is kept in the Commander's office." Charlie answered before his eyes grew wide as he stared at Rudy before looking across the desk at Mike, "Hey, hey, you're not trying to accuse one of my guys of stealing the evidence, are you? If you are you are way off base! The lab was empty when I went for lunch and all my guys were out in the field!"

"Is it possible that someone managed to make a copy of one of the keys or maybe one of your guys misplaced their key?"

"No, I would know if they did. They sign out the key when they sign in and sign in the key when they sign out." Charlie answered heatedly before he took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair as he said more quietly, "Look, I'm sorry, I know you are just doing your job, but there's just no way any of my guys have lost their keys or anyone else could have gotten. Nothing like this has ever happened before." Looking across the desk at Mike as he backed towards the door, desperate to escape Mike's murderous glare, he promised, "I have one of the boys dusting the locker for fingerprints, if we find any, I will let you know."

Mike nodded stiffly, not trusting himself to speak as he watched Charlie turn and hurry out of his office.

Closing the door behind Charlie, Rudy sighed as he watched the forensic specialist almost run out of the bullpen before he turned and faced Mike, "Mike, that's not all that's disappeared. All the witness statements collected, the responding officers' reports and our reports are missing as well."

"Missing, how?" Mike asked as his anger at Charlie for losing the evidence cooled and morphed into surprise to discover the reports and files were also gone.

Rudy shook his head, "Damn if I know! I had the reports and all the case notes on my desk. I left the office for a moment and went I went back …"

"And they were missing just like the evidence in the lab."

"Yeah," Rudy sighed before he looked across the desk at Mike and demanded angrily, "Just what the Hell was Keller up to, Mike? We have a dead informant, Keller in the hospital, a wife no one knew about and now all the evidence and reports concerning this case is gone! You're his partner, what the hell is going on?"

"I wish I knew," Mike answered honestly as he unlocked his desk drawer and pulled it open before he removed the small notebook he had found in Steve's desk and placed it on his desk, pushing it across to Rudy. "but not all the evidence is gone."

"What's this?" Rudy asked as he picked up the book and opened it, frowning as he perused the list of names, some crossed out and the strange notations.

"I found it hidden in Steve's desk this morning." Mike told him before adding, "The strange notations are similar to the notation we found on the piece of paper found in Steve's pocket."

"There's a lot of judges', lawyers' and police officers' names listed here as well as a few crims." Rudy frowned as he flicked through the pages and read some of the names, before he looked back at Mike questioningly, "Any idea what notations and dates mean?"

"Not yet, but I checked some of the times and dates with the squads sign-in book, each corresponded with times when Steve was off duty." Mike answered as he removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Mike!"

Mike looked up in surprise as Jeannie opened the door and entered the office.

"Jeannie, what are you doing here? Why aren't you at school?" He asked as he quickly rose from his desk and hurried across the office to hug her.

"Mike, how is he? I heard about Steve on the radio. The reporter said he was found shot in an alley and his condition is critical. So I can straight home." The words tumbled out and Jeannie swallowed hard as Mike took her into his arms as the tear ran down her face. "I went straight to the hospital but the doctors would not let me see him. Oh Mike, why didn't you call me?"

"There is nothing you can do; you were better off at school." Mike told her, gently, "Steve's condition is critical. The doctors are not letting anyone in to see Steve at the moment yet, not even us."

"What happened?" Jeannie asked as she pulled away and wiped her tears away as she looked up at her father, "Was he working a case or something?"

"We're still not sure, Steve was off duty when it happened. And until we can talk to Steve, we don't know just what happen or why." Rudy told her before he asked, "You know Steve well. don't you? I mean the two of you sometimes hung out socially when your home from college."

Jeannie nodded as Mike handed her his handkerchief and she wiped her eyes. "He comes over for dinner with Mike and I, and sometimes we hang out."

Rudy nodded slowly as he glanced quickly at Mike before he returned his attention back to Jeannie and asked, "Did you know that Steve got married?"

"Steve's married?" Jeannie stared at Rudy before she looked up at her father in disbelief.

"Apparently he got married about four weeks ago when he went away for that long weekend."

"He married Robyn?" Jeannie frowned.

"No, not Robyn," Mike interrupted, "he married a young lady named Monica."

"Monica?" Jeannie's disbelief morphed into confusion as she looked at Rudy before returning her attention back to her father as she frowned, "Who's Monica?"

"Monica Lewis. She said she met Steve eighteen months ago at a party. She claims at first they dated casually but in the last six months or so things started to get serious. Then a month ago, when Steve had the long weekend off, he suggested they elope. Apparently they were married in a little twenty-four-hour marriage chapel in Las Vegas. She even showed me their marriage certificate"

"It just doesn't make any sense, Mike, why would Steve marry someone four weeks ago and not tell …" Jeannie paused, mid- sentence as she looked up at Mike.

"What is it, Sweetheart?" Mike asked.

"She said that things had gotten serious between her and Steve during the last six months and the two of them eloped four weeks ago at Steve's suggestion?"

Mike and Rudy nodded.

"But Mike, Steve was dating Robyn four weeks ago."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. We went out on a double date to the movies and dinner the night before Steve went for his long weekend away. Why would Steve…?" Jeannie frowned as she looked in confusion at the two men in the room.

"I don't know, Sweetheart but when Steve is well enough I am sure he will answer all our questions." Mike reassured her, giving her a hug as he suggested, "Now, why don't you go home and get some rest. I will try and be home for dinner, and I promise if there's any change in Steve's condition, you will be the first person I tell."

"Okay, Mike." Jeannie reluctantly agreed as she gave her father a hug, "I have a couple of things I want to do first."

Mike nodded as he walked her to the door. "I promise I will be home for dinner," he told her again he opened the door for her to leave.

Rudy waited silently as Mike closed the door and turned back towards him. "I hope your right, Mike, about Keller, when he is well enough, answering our questions."

SOSF SOSF SOSF

Carefully removing the lid off the top of the evidence box sitting on the coffee table, Monica sat down on the sofa and began to lift the bags of evidence out of the box, spreading them carefully across the small table. Reaching back into the box, she removed the thin file containing the witness statements and police reports before opening it and quickly perusing the several sheets of papers inside. Closing the file, she placed it onto the table and picked up the clear evidence bag containing the kidney dish and her gun. Quickly unsealing the bag, she removed the kidney tray and carefully examined it. The lack of fingerprint powder on her gun or the kidney dish that it rested in told her that her weapon had not been processed. She breathed a sigh of relief as she picked up her gun, checking it was still fully loaded before she quickly returned it back into her holster beneath the back of her blouse.

She jumped as she heard a soft knock at the front door. Quickly grabbing the file and the bags of evidence, she packed them back into the box before grabbing the lid and closing it as she hurried into the bedroom and hid the box under the bed. Returning to the living room, she closed the bedroom door firmly behind before she crossed to the front door as she carefully smoothed the back of her blouse.

SOSF SOSF SOSF

Biting her bottom lip, Jeannie stared up at the closed front door of Steve's apartment. She knew if Mike knew she was here and what she was planning to do, he would be furious. Clutching her handbag closer, she walked up the stairs and lightly knocked on the door. She smiled sweetly as the front door opened a moment later and a young woman asked her, "Hi, can I help you?


	9. Chapter 9

 “Hi, I’m Jeannie…”

“Mike Stone’s daughter.” Monica blinked in surprise before she smiled weakly at the young woman standing at the door. She paused for a heartbeat and allowed her bottom lip to tremble before she drew in a deep shuddering breath and said softly, “I’m sorry but Steve’s not here…I thought your father would have told you…”

“He did.” Jeannie answered gently, “He also told me that you and Steve were recently married. I know how scary it can be when either Mike or Steve are injured, so I thought I would come by and see if you would like some company.”

“I’m sorry, where are my manners, please come in.” Monica blushed lightly as she stepped aside to allow Jeannie to pass as she surreptitiously looked out at the street to reassure herself that Jeannie had come alone.  Satisfied that Jeannie was alone, Monica closed the door and turned back to her visitor and silently watched Jeannie as the younger woman glanced around the room. “Please sit down.” she smiled as she placed her hand lightly onto Jeannie’s back and steered her towards the sofa.

“Thank you,” Jeannie said politely as she sat down and looked around the room again, searching for something that would prove this woman was who she said she was or even lived here with Steve.  There were no photos of the two of them together, no little women’s touches done to the room, other than Monica’s handbag and two half-drunk glasses of red wine, one stained with the same shade of lipstick that Monica was wearing, still sitting on the small coffee table amongst Steve’s text books, there was nothing that indicated the apartment was anything more than Steve’s bachelor pad.  She waited until Monica had settled down onto the chair beside the sofa before she asked quietly, “Is there any more news on Steve’s condition? Mike told me he was critical.”

Biting her bottom lip, Monica slowly shook her head, “No, nothing. And the doctors won’t let me in to see him.”

“Mike said that the doctors are not letting anyone visit Steve, not even him, and he’s listed as Steve’s next-of…” Jeannie paused and looked at Monica before she corrected herself, “I mean, Mike was listed as Steve’s next-of-kin.”

“I…I think he still is.” Monica sighed as she ran her hand nervously through her hair as she looked down at her lap and quietly admitted, “I don’t think the doctors believed me when I told them I was Steve’s wife, I know Mike didn’t, despite the fact I showed him our marriage certificate.” Shaking her head, she looked back up at Jeannie, “Not that I can really blame any of them questioning our marriage. After all, Steve wanted to keep our marriage a secret until we found the right time to tell everyone.”

“Why?” Jeannie frowned, the secrecy about the wedding this woman was claiming was Steve’s idea did not sound like something Steve would do.

 “I think he was a little nervous about how people, particularly Mike, would react especially with the fact that our elopement was such a spur of the moment decision.” Monica shrugged before she added, “We were planning to invite everyone out to dinner next weekend but now…” Monica trailed off as she swallowed hard. Taking a deep breath, she looked back up at Jeannie and asked softly, “Would you like to see our wedding photos? We only collected our wedding album from the photographer yesterday. We spent last night trying to decide which photos we wanted to put into picture frames before Steve …before Steve…”

“I would love to.” Jeannie smiled as the other woman tearfully choked on her words.

Wiping away the tear that trickled down her cheek with her hand, Monica rose from her chair and hurried across to the overflowing bookcase and reached for the white photo album that had been carefully placed on the top shelf.

Jeannie managed to stifle the small gasp of surprise as the back of Monica’s blouse lifted up and exposed the small gun holster and gun that was hidden beneath. She quickly covered her shock with a small smile as Monica turned holding the white wedding album beautifully decorated with gold lettering and hurried back to where she was sitting.

Sitting down on the sofa beside Jeannie, Monica opened the album and began to show Jeannie the wedding photos which as Monica happily explained had been taken in the gardens of the small chapel where they had been married as she turned the pages.

Dressed in a simple white dress with a garland of colorful flowers adorning her hair and a small fresh matching bouquet of flowers clutched in her hand, Monica looked every part of a happy and beautiful bride in each photo. Steve was dressed in a light blue suit and tie, and although Jeannie was certain most people looking at the photos would not even notice, Steve looked slightly uncomfortable and his smile appeared forced in each photo.

“Mike told me that you and Steve met about eighteen months ago at a party.” Jeannie said as casually as she could as she looked at the photos.

Casting a quick, sidewards glance at Jeannie, Monica looked back down at the album she held in her lap as she nodded, “That’s right, I…I got quite drunk at a party we were both at and Steve graciously took me home. He was such a gentleman; I think I fell in love with him that night. And when he wanted to elope, I said yes straight away, I couldn’t wait to be his wife and now…” Closing the wedding album, she placed it down on the small coffee table in front of them before she stood up and walked across to the window, lifting up the curtain to stare outside as she brushed away another tear, “And now he’s lying in a hospital bed and I am not even allowed to see him. And every time I call the hospital to ask how he is, I’m told that information is only given to his next-of-kin.” She turned back to Jeannie, who was watching her closely, and sniffled slightly for maximum effect as she wiped away more tears, “Steve’s my husband and I’m not allowed to be with him when he needs me the most!”

“I’m positive Mike will tell the doctors that you can stay with Steve as soon as they give their okay that he can have visitors.” Jeannie gently reassured her.

 “I hope so.” Monica sniffled again.

“I know he will.” Jeannie smiled as she rose to her feet and glanced down at her watch before she looked back up at Monica and began to apologize, “Oh I’m sorry, I didn’t realize just how late it is. I promised Mike that I would have dinner cooked and on the table when he gets home, I better get going.”

“I understand,” Monica smiled weakly through the tears that now ran freely down her cheeks as she led Jeannie towards the door and opened it for her, “Thank you so much for coming.”

“If you need anything, anything at all, just give me a call.” Jeannie told Monica as she stepped past her.

“Thank you, Jeannie, I will.” Monica nodded before closing the door as Jeannie turned and walked down the stairs.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Jeannie turned and stared up at the closed front door to Steve’s apartment. _‘Someone should nominate Monica for an Academy Award,’_ Jeannie decided silently, _‘The woman certainly gave an award winning performance.’_

SOSF SOSF SOSF

Closing the door firmly behind Stone’s daughter, Monica hurried across to the window and watched as Jeannie descended the stairs and stopped, turning back to look back up at the apartment. Taking a small step back so her shadow could not be seen at the window by the younger woman, Monica cursed. Steve had warned her that Jeannie was bright, much brighter than the average teenager and being a cop’s daughter, no, Monica silently corrected herself as she heard Steve’s soft warning about Jeannie in her head, being the best cop in the department’s daughter, Jeannie would be instantly suspicious of their marriage and would probably decide to do some investigating on her own. She bit her bottom lip, she could tell Jeannie was more than suspicious, Stone’s daughter did not believe a thing she had said. Even the wedding photos had not convinced Jeannie, she had seen the disbelief in Jeannie’s eyes as she looked at each photo. Monica was not sure just what Jeannie had seen in each photo but something gave their cover away. Watching Jeannie walk away, Monica sighed, she would have to be extra careful whenever she was around the younger woman.


	10. Chapter 10

 

Staring at the notations in the notebook, Mike sighed as he removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. The names, numbers and letters that Steve had jotted down in the small notebook were beginning to blur together and he was no closer than he had been an hour earlier, when he had first shown Rudy the book, of working out what any of what Steve had meticulously jotted down meant. He shook his head in frustration as he looked out at his young partner's empty desk. "What were you up to Steve?" he murmured echoing the same question Rudy had asked him earlier before he added softly, "And who doesn't want us to know?"

Closing the notebook, Mike opened his desk drawer. He hesitated a moment before slamming it closed again and locking it. Standing up, he turned and grabbed his coat and hat before he turned and picked up the notebook from his desk, unwilling to let it out of his sight as he left the office for the night, slamming his office door behind him.

SOSF SOSF SOSF

Placing a large spoonful of mixed vegetables onto Mike's dinner plate alongside the mashed potato and steak, Jeannie called out cheerfully, "Hi Mike, dinner is ready." when she heard the front door open and close and her father's familiar footsteps as he crossed the living room and entered the kitchen.

Giving his daughter a small kiss on the cheek as he entered the kitchen, Mike smiled as Jeannie handed him one of the plates, before she placed her own plate on the table and sat down, and waited for Mike to do the same.

"I went to see Monica this evening." She began as casually as she could as she looked down and pushed the vegetables around on her plate, resisting the urge to look back up from her plate to gauge her father's reaction. "I wanted to introduce myself to Steve's new wife, especially after what happened to Steve last night."

"Jeannie," Mike growled softly, looking up at his daughter, the piece of steak he had just cut forgotten on the fork held halfway up to his mouth.

"I had to do something Mike, I wanted to help. I mean, Steve's lying in that hospital room fighting for his life and suddenly this woman turns up claiming to be his wife. I wanted to meet her and find out if what she claims is true myself…" Jeannie swallowed hard, acutely aware that Mike was angry with her as she continued to push the food around on her plate before she finally looked up at her father and rushed on. "She's lying, Mike, I don't know why she is lying about being married to Steve but I do know she is lying!"

Mike frowned as he lowered his fork back down onto his plate and stared at his daughter, "How do you know?"

Jeannie shrugged, "Just little things I noticed when I was talking to her, you know the things women notice that men don't, like there was no womanly touches anywhere in Steve's living room."

"Womanly touches?"

"You know, things like photos of the both of them together, flowers in vases or…"

"Or pretty little knickknacks." Mike nodded in understanding, remembering the little touches that Helen had loved adding to their small apartment in the first weeks they were married, before he added, "Jeannie, they have only been married for a month, and the marriage certificate confirms it, maybe…"

"But Mike, what if that certificate wasn't real, that's somehow she faked it, like the wedding photos she showed me…"

"Wedding photos?"

Jeannie nodded, "She showed me their wedding album, she said they had got it back from the photographers last night and that she and Steve had spent the evening trying to decide what photos they should display but…"

"But?" Mike asked, his dinner forgotten.

Jeannie shrugged, "They looked…staged."

"Most wedding photos are staged, Sweetheart," Mike reminded her, "The photographer usually tells the bride and groom, and anyone else in the photos, where and how to stand."

"I know but that's not what I mean." Jeannie frowned as she tried to find the right words to explain, "It wasn't the photos themselves. It was more the look in Steve's eyes, like…" she shrugged, "like the look he gets when he is doing something he isn't comfortable doing or when he is doing something he really doesn't want to do…" Mike nodded silently as Jeannie suddenly asked, "Did you know Monica carries a gun?"

"Monica carries a gun?" Mike stared at his daughter, alarmed, "How do you know?"

"I saw it." Jeannie answered softly, "She had it in a holster tugged into the back of her skirt."

"Do you know what type of gun it was?" Mike asked as he placed his cutlery down, his dinner forgotten as the memory of the nurse who had been seen in Steve's room just before Steve had the seizure and the gun that had been found in Steve's room afterwards and had been amongst the evidence stolen from the lab popped into his mind. Monica could easily fit the vague description of the 'mystery' nurse.

"I'm not sure.' Jeannie shrugged, "I only got a quick glimpse at it, when her blouse lifted up as she reached up to get the photo album. I don't think she realized that I saw it."

"Jeannie, I want you to stay away from Monica." Mike ordered firmly as he suddenly rose from his seat, "I don't want you doing anymore investigating on your own, understand?"

"But Mike…" Jeannie protested as she stood up and followed her father into the living room.

"I mean it, Jeannie!" Mike ordered again as he shrugged into his overcoat before grabbing his hat from the rack.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to have my own little chat with Mrs. Monica Keller." Mike answered as he hurried out the front door and closed it firmly behind him.

SOSF SOSF SOSF

Pulling the manila file with all the information about Stone that the agency had collected from the large pile of files in front of her before reaching for the file of Keller's own handwritten notes on his partner, Monica placed both files on the small coffee table in front of her and flicked both files open before picking up her pen and studying the details within both carefully again.

Stone was fifty-four-years old, widowed eleven years ago after his wife had died unexpectedly. Stone had never remarried and devoted his time between work and his daughter who was just eight years old when she had lost her mother. Stone had joined SFPD after getting out of the Air Corps in 1949 and had risen through the police ranks before joining the homicide division shortly before his wife's death. Glancing through his yearly performance reports, Stone received high praise from his superiors, each report spoke of a good cop, who was well respected and well-liked by his colleagues. Nothing at all to indicate that the good cop had turned bad.

Perusing through Stone's bank and financial details, she frowned. There was nothing she had been able to dig up indicated that the homicide lieutenant had been receiving any kickbacks. With a take home pay of just $184.50, Stone lived within his means, his home mortgage had been paid off last year at the end of the loan, there had been no large deposits, just the regular payments paid on the days they were due. Even his wife's life insurance had been placed into a trust account for his daughter that matured when she turned twenty-one, into which he added a small deposit from his pay every week since the trust fund had been set up by him in the weeks after his wife's death. There were no hidden bank accounts or off shore accounts that she had been able to discover, no flashy cars, no expensive holidays, or box seat tickets to the Superbowl or baseball, or whatever middle aged widowed men were into these days.

Other than Stone knowing or being connected with all of the other suspects, connections Keller had explained passionately to her, on numerous occasions since he had joined the investigation, that were easily explained away by the fact that Stone was a police lieutenant and some of the suspects were co-workers, or lawyers and judges he interacted with almost daily in the line of his work, or suspects and criminals that had he had dealt with in cases or were now working as his snitches. A small smile graced her lips as Steve's passionate argument echoed in her ears. _"Damn it Monica, I could have been included on your lists of suspects. I also know some of the same suspects that we are investigating for being dirty that you claim Mike is on the take with! The only reason you dragged me into this case is the fact that I am Mike Stone's partner and Bardado is one of my snitches! And we both know the only reason I am sneaking around Mike's back and co-operating with McKeller's and your little charade is to clear Mike's name! He's innocent, Monica, Mike is the most honest man that I know!"_

She sighed as she closed the file collected on Stone and the file containing the notes Steve had made about dates, sales, payments and shipments and Stone's movements on those days, acutely aware after rereading her partner's notes that none of the dates and times corresponded, Stone was either on duty or had an airtight alibi that Keller had checked thoroughly for each entry he had made so far. Biting the tip of her pen, she looked up and stared at the wall. Maybe Steve was right, maybe Stone was not involved at all and knew nothing about what was going on. But something told her deep down that Stone was hiding something, he was just a little too perfect.

Shaking her head in frustration, her thoughts turned back to her temporary partner. Maybe when this was all over, she could convince Steve to stop wasting his talents being a SFPD homicide inspector and join her at the agency. She jumped as she heard a loud rap on the front door, and grabbing the folders spread out in front of her, she quickly hurried into the bedroom before opening the bedside table drawer, dumping the files inside and slamming the drawer closed.

Turning, she quickly smoothed her clothes and brushed a stray strand of hair back behind her ear as she re-entered the small living room. Quickly glancing around the room, reassuring herself that she had managed to grab everything, she crossed to the door and opened it, unsurprised to find Mike Stone standing there.


	11. Chapter 11

Knocking loudly on Steve's apartment door, Mike heard the sound of rushed footsteps inside, first fading away before growing louder before Monica unlatched and opened the door.

"Mike!' she greeted him in surprise as she stepped aside in a silent invitation to enter as she asked, "What has brought you here so late?" She paused a heartbeat, waiting for Mike to turn towards her before she whispered fearfully, "Is it Steve? Has something happened to him? Every time I phone the ICU, they refused to tell me anything, telling me that any information on his condition is only released to his next-of-kin. They still don't believe I am Steve's wife."

"There's been no change in Steve's condition. He is still unconscious and listed as critical." Mike answered distractedly as he glanced around Steve's apartment, noting the Jeannie's observations on her earlier visit here were right, there were no womanly touches, no photos of the two of them together, no little knickknacks, nothing that even remotely suggested that the apartment was anything more than Steve's bachelor pad. Turning back to the young woman who was watching him closely, he removed his hat as he told her firmly, "That's not why I'm here. We need to talk."

Biting her bottom lip, Monica nodded. "I thought that's why you might be here, there must be so many questions about Steve and I that you want answered. But first please take a seat and make yourself comfortable." she said softly waving her hand towards the sofa before she turned and headed to the small kitchenette as she said over her shoulder, "I'll make us both a cup of coffee and then we can talk."

Mike frowned as he watched her walk away before he removed his coat and hat and headed across to the sofa and sat down. A small plastic evidence bag fell to the ground as Mike picked up one of Steve's police science books that was open on the small coffee table. Leaning down, Mike picked it up and stared at the familiar numbers and letters scrawled on the small piece of paper within before he silently looked back up at the woman as she turned back towards him, holding the two mugs of coffee she had just made.

Picking up the two mugs of coffee, Monica turned around and froze as she stared at the plastic bag Mike held in his hand. The small evidence bag must have been missed in her haste earlier to hid the evidence. Her heart sunk as she realized that her own carelessness had just blown her cover. _"He's innocent, Monica, Mike is the most honest man I know! I trust him with my life! There's no way he's involved in any of this."_ Steve's words echoed in her head. Biting her bottom lip, she realized she had no choice about what she now had to do if she was going to save this investigation.

"You're right, we need to talk." she sighed as she walked across and handed Mike his mug of coffee before she sat down on the chair next to the sofa. Taking the small plastic evidence bag from Mike, she placed it onto the table before she held up her hand to stop him from speaking as she said softly, "Steve trusts you and I trust Steve. God, I just hope he's right about you being an honest cop, Stone, but I guess I have no other choice than to trust my…I mean our… partner."

"Our partner?" Mike frowned as he looked at Monica and demanded, "Just who are you and what the Hell is going on?"

"One question at a time, Lieutenant," she ordered firmly, "or can I call you Mike, like our partner does?" Mike remained silent but the look on his face warned her that he was in no mood for games. Monica shrugged, "Okay, I guess I will just call you Mike, Lieutenant Stone just sounds too formal, especially when I know so much about you. Everything except what I really want to know."

"And what's that?" Mike growled.

"If Keller is right and you are just an innocent cop who has been caught up in our net or if you are as dirty as I think you are." Monica answered coldly as she reached for her handbag on the coffee table and opened it before pulling out a black ID wallet. Flicking it open, she held it up to show Mike her badge as she formally introduced herself, "Agent Monica Tennaman." Closing her ID, she placed it down on the coffee table and sighed as she looked across at Mike, "I guess I have no other choice but to trust Steve's believe that you are not involved."

"Involved, involved in what?" Mike frowned, "And why is Steve involved in an FBI investigation?"

"Oh believe me Stone, Steve initially refused to be involved in this investigation when he was first approached." Monica smiled as she remembered the first meeting when she had meet the young inspector in McKeller's office. Even during that initial meeting. Keller had been vehement in his defense that Stone was an innocent cop. He had first refused to participate in the undercover operation and had even threatened to hand in his resignation when ordered to join in the undercover operation by the police commander. It was only after she had suggested if Steve honestly believed his partner was innocent, then by joining her undercover, he would be able to clear Stone's name. Pushing the memory to the back of her mind, she looked across at Mike, "But he agreed because he believed he could clear your name."

"Clear my name?" Mike asked in confusion before he demanded, "What the hell is going on and what am I being accused of?"

"What is going on is an investigation involving the FBI and your own Internal Affairs."

"Investigation?"

"A joint investigation into corruption, not only in the San Francisco Police Department and the District Attorney's office, but also involving several prominent judges and lawyers and the Lanzia crime family." Monica answered before adding, "And your name has come up in our investigations and your name has come up in our 'inquiries' several times." Rubbing her hand nervously through her hair, Monica suddenly stood up and looked at Mike, "I guess if I am going to bring you into the investigation, I should do it through the right channels. Any more questions you have is going to have to wait until my boss and McKeller gets here."

Turning she walked across to the phone and picked it up before she began to dial.


	12. Chapter 12

Sitting down across from his angry lieutenant. McKeller rubbed his hand over his thinning hair as he glanced at Monica and the FBI Assistant Director, who was in charge of the whole investigation, before he returned his attention back to Mike who was watching the three of them closely, obviously waiting for some sort of explanation on what was going on. Clearing his throat, he began, "Mike, your investigation of Keller's and Bardado's shooting is potentially compromising a very delicate investigation involving not only our own Internal Affairs officers but also the FBI and the DEA."

"Investigation?" Mike frowned looking at his commander before glancing at Monica and her own lead agent, before returning his attention back onto McKeller as he demanded, "What sort of investigation? And what has it to do with Steve's and Bardado's shootings? What the Hell is going on?"

"It's a joint investigation into corruption in the San Francisco Police Department and the District Attorney's office but our investigation has had to be expanded after we discovered that several judges and lawyers also may be involved." Assistant Director Devlin explained.

Mike's frown deepened with confusion, "What type of corruption?"

"Murder, drug importation and human trafficking for starters." Monica answered softly, watching Mike's surprised reaction closely, "And I am sure by the time we finish with our investigation we are going to find a whole lot more."

"Murder, drug importation and human trafficking?" Mike parroted softly in disgust and surprise as he looked at McKeller to confirmation.

McKeller nodded silently.

"But what's this investigation have to do with Steve's…" Mike paused as he stared at his commander. "Steve was somehow involved in the investigation, wasn't he?"

McKeller cast a furtive look at the two agents in the room before he looked back at Mike and nodded silently again.

"Why? And why wasn't I told? Steve's my partner or have you forgotten that little detail?"

"Easy, Mike." McKeller warned firmly, "This investigation is a needs to know operation and when we began, you did not need to know."

"When our investigation started, we knew that there is someone in the homicide department involved." Delvin interrupted, "And your name kept popping up in our initial investigation."

"My name?" Mike gasped in surprise as he looked across at McKeller who nodded his confirmation. "Is that why Steve…?"

"We've been watching and gathering evidence for this investigation for months now and we knew Inspector Keller was not involved in what was going on." Delvin continued, ignoring Mike's questions. "We also knew that if we wanted to find out which officers in the homicide department are involved, we needed to have someone on the inside. And with your name continuously popping up in our investigation linking you to most of our suspects, and the fact Keller is your partner…"

"You ordered Steve to keep a close eye on me?" Mike glared accusingly across at McKeller, his anger rising.

"He didn't want to do it when we first approached him." McKeller answered softly, "But after I explained to him that if he believed you were as innocent as I believe you are of the accusations, this could be his chance to clear your name."

"And Steve agreed, just to clear me?" Mike swallowed hard.

McKeller looked down at his lap guiltily and nodded.

"With Keller co-operating with us and the fact that one of our paid contacts who was able to move in circles that we could never move in was one of his informants…"

"Bardado?" Mike asked softly.

"He was able to obtain the information on the dates and times of possible incoming shipments, sometimes even the payment amounts and even the names of the ships or the way the shipments were coming."

"But never just who was involved." Monica chimed in. "And when he got the information, he would pass it onto Steve in a sort of shorthand that we had worked out in case it ever got intercepted."

"The numbers and letters on the scrape of paper found in Steve's pocket." Mike mused.

"And probably the reason why Keller and Bardado were shot." Delvin added softly. "We believe that someone knew Bardado was passing on information. And when they saw Keller and Bardado in the bar the other night, they knew to whom and decided to find out what Keller knew before taking them both out."

"But they missed the piece of paper in Steve's pocket."

Delvin nodded, "They missed the piece of paper in Keller's pocket."

Eyeing Monica closely, Mike decided to play a hunch, "That's why you went to the hospital both times. You needed to get into Steve's room to retrieve it."

"Very good, Lieutenant." Monica smiled coldly, "but the first time the doctors would not let me into his room despite the fact I am his wife and the second time…" She swallowed hard as she remembered Steve in the bed, seizing.

"But Steve suffered a seizure and you panicked and left your gun behind."

Casting a quick glance at her boss who was watching her closely, she swallowed again and began to explain, "A damn rookie mistake. I should have left my gun in the car but I was too eager to see if Steve was awake and if I could find out what had happened. It wasn't until I found the nurse's uniform I used to get into his room that I even realized I had the gun still on me, so I hid it in a kidney dish. But when I was in his room he started to seize and the nurse came in I knew I had to get out of there and fast."

"What about the marriage?"

"Oh, our marriage is all above board and I can assure you is not a sham at all." Monica smiled as McKeller cast a quick furtive glance at her before returning his attention back to Mike. "Steve and I are really married, and I am truly Mrs Monica Keller. And what I told you at the hospital about Steve wanting to find the right time to tell you is true."

Mike eyed her closely, his distrust in the woman growing, aware that she had just lied to his face but he nodded and did not pursue the lie anymore, for now, as he asked, "So I assume that you were responsible for all the evidence going missing?"

"We had to retrieved our evidence before it fell into the wrong hands."

"Remember Mike, we know there is a corrupt officer in the Homicide Department and the only officers whom we now know, through Steve Keller's own investigation and the evidence he was able to provide to back up his findings, are not involved other than Keller is you and Rudy Olsen." McKeller hurriedly interjected. "That's why we have decided that we need you and Olsen to join in the investigation. We need eyes in the homicide department."

"If you want to weed out the corruption not only in your own department but in the courts as well, and you want to find out who carried out the hit on your partner and Bardado, this is the way to do it." Delvin added quietly, watching the San Francisco Homicide Lieutenant closely.

Eyeing the three people waiting for his answer and aware he really had no choice, Mike sighed and nodded.

"Good." McKeller breathed as he stood up and waited for Mike to do the same, "I will brief both yourself and Olsen in the morning in my office." He told Mike as he walked Mike to Steve's front door. Opening the door, he stood to the side to allow Mike to step out of the apartment as he added, "I expect the two of you in my office at 8 am sharp."

Mike nodded, aware that he had just been dismissed and was expected to leave. Stepping through the door he walked down the stairs , hearing the door slam closed behind him.

Turning to face the young FBI agent, McKeller demanded, "Why did you lie about the marriage? Why didn't you tell him the truth when he asked?"

Glancing at her boss before she turned to look back at the enraged police commander, Monica shrugged, "I'm not going to share all the information about how we are investigating this case with a suspect."

McKeller frowned, glancing at the FBI Assistant director who remained silent before he looked back at Monica as he growled. "As in suspects, I gather that still includes Mike Stone?"

"It does until I know my gut feeling about him isn't wrong." Monica answered as she turned and stared at the closed door that Mike had just left through. "I know Steve and you both don't believe he is dirty and that we had to take the chance of bringing him in on this investigation but I still don't trust him. And this is the easiest way for me to keep an eye on him and to have access to his house until Keller is awake."

"And what happens when Keller regains consciousness and tells Stone that the two of you aren't married."

Monica shrugged, "I will deal with that little problem when it happens."

SOSF SOSF SOSF

Reaching Steve's hospital room, Rudy paused as the young officer guarding the door stepped aside to allow him to enter the room. "Quiet evening, Paul?" he asked the young officer guarding the door.

"Yes Sir." the officer nodded. "The only people who have gone into the room or out of the room this evening have been medical staff, except for Lieutenant Stone, he arrived about half an hour ago."

"Is Stone still inside with Keller now?" Rudy asked.

"Yes sir, I thought since Lieutenant Stone is Steve's…I mean Inspector Keller's partner." The officer swallowed hard, "Um …should I make him to leave?"

Rudy smiled and patted the worried officer on the shoulder, "No, it's fine, Paul, I was just surprised Mike was here. I sent him home earlier to rest but I guess he couldn't stay away."

The officer nodded uncertainly as Rudy opened the door and stood in the doorway of the small Intensive Care room, silently watching as Mike pleaded with Steve to open his eyes. The S.F. police Captain silently shook his head, knowing the futility of trying to send his officer home to rest but knew he had to try. He briefly contemplated asking the doctors to admit Mike as a patient himself for physical and emotional exhaustion but quickly dismissed the notion, aware that Mike would baulk at such an action, especially while Steve's life was endangered.

"Come on Buddy Boy, open your eyes and talk to me." Mike pleaded softly, "I need to talk to you. "

Steve heard a soft familiar voice call his name, urging him to wake but he did not have the strength to open his eyes and respond. With a soft sigh, he allowed himself to drift back into the darkness.

Sighing softly, Rudy entered the room and lightly placed his hand on the shoulder of his exhausted friend. "Mike, I thought I sent you home hours ago to have dinner with Jeannie."

"I did but I decided to come and sit with Steve for a while." Mike answered distractedly before he turned and looked up at Rudy, frowning, "Why are you here?"

"I thought I would just check on Keller's guards and see if there was any change in his condition." Rudy answered as he glanced at Steve before he returned his attention to his friend sitting in the chair, "Mike, why don't you head home and get a couple of hours sleep? You and Steve worked a sixteen hour shift before this happened and I doubt you would have even got more than an hour' or two's sleep before Steve's shooting and you have been on your feet since Steve was shot. You need to rest! I will sit with him for a while and I promise that I will contact you if there is any change in his condition."

The exhausted homicide lieutenant shook his head, his eyes never leaving the face of his partner as he answered, "I just want to sit with him for a few minutes longer, Rudy, just in case he does wake..."

"Mike…"

Any objection Rudy was about to utter was silenced as Mike Stone looked up into his eyes, the fear of losing Steve evident in the expressive face.

"I'm going to stay for a few more minutes, just in case, but why don't you go home. I will see you back at the bull pen in the morning…" He murmured in what Rudy knew was a dismissal as he returned his attention back to the man in the bed.

Rudy stood silently for a few more moments studying the man in the chair. He knew that Mike would stay at Steve's bedside for the rest of the night but he was also aware in the morning, the Lieutenant would not be headed home to bed. Mike Stone would not rest until he found out what had happened to Steve and caught the people responsible. The risk to his own health would never be a consideration until he was certain Steve was out of danger.

Rudy sighed and turned to walk out of the room.

"Did you know that Steve has been working undercover in a joint investigation involving Internal Affairs, the FBI and the DEA?" Mike asked softly, without taking his eyes off of his critically ill partner.

Rudy stopped and turned to look at Mike in confusion. "Investigation? What investigation?"

"It's a joint investigation into corruption in the San Francisco Police department and the District Attorney's office, but also several judges and lawyers as well as several police officers, including myself. Steve only agreed to go undercover because he wanted to try and clear my name." Mike sighed and shook his head as he looked up at Rudy, the devastation evident in his eyes as he swallowed hard and looked back at Steve, "I'm the reason why Steve's here, fighting for his life."

 


	13. Chapter 13

Hamish Devlin's blood was boiling. At the moment he wasn't sure if he wanted to physically strangle his young agent or re-assign her to scrubbing out every toilet and urinal in the FBI Golden Gate Avenue offices, maybe even the toilets and urinals of the different businesses on the floors above and below. No, that would be going too easy on her, after this assignment was over he would make sure that the only assignments she would be given would involve investigating the little green Martians who took people up to their spaceships to carry out their anal probes. Gritting his teeth hard to stop himself from grinding them in irritation, he silently watched as she walked McKeller to the front door, promising the police commander that they would join him in his office in the morning for the meeting with Stone and Olsen, before he left and she closed the door behind him. He waited silently until she turned back and walked back towards him before he ordered softly, "Sit down!"

Monica's face paled and she nodded silently as she sat down on the sofa across from her boss, nervously tugging her skirt over her knees. The look on her boss's face warned her that he was not happy and she drew in a deep breath, steeling herself from the volcanic explosion she knew she was about to receive. "Sir…" she began nervously.

"Don't Sir me!" Devlin yelled angrily before taking a deep breath and lowering his voice, but not the intensity of his fury, "You seem determined to nail Stone to the wall whether the man is guilty or not. And so far, all the evidence I have seen points to the man being innocent!"

"But Sir, I can explain…"

"You can explain what?" he roared, cutting her off mid-sentence as his anger rose. "You can explain why you insist that Stone is guilty despite the overwhelming evidence collected so far shows that he is innocent or can you explain why the Hell you found it necessary to remove evidence from the police crime lab and taking all the case files and statements relating to the Keller and Bardado shootings. Or do you want to explain to me explain why you just lied to Stone right in front of me about this damn sham of a marriage you arranged and insist was necessary to get closer to the suspects …"

"I didn't lie; the marriage is real." Monica announced softly as she stared at the large, purple pulsing vein that had appeared in the middle of the FBI Assistant Director's forehead.

Devlin stared, shocked at his young agent, uncertain if he had actually heard what she had just told him correctly as he blinked and asked cautiously, "What did you just say?"

"The marriage isn't a sham, Steve and I were legally married in that chapel in Las Vegas. The marriage certificate is real and has been legally lodged with the Nevada Birth, Deaths and Marriages. If you don't believe me, Sir, then just check, I am sure Stone already has. Nor was I was not lying when I told them that Steve had insisted on keeping it a secret until he found the right moment to tell everyone. I know McKeller or Stone won't believe that we are really married until Steve tells them but I don't care because I know our marriage is real." Monica answered before she added defiantly, "And as for my belief that Stone is guilty, I know that so far the evidence points to his innocence and that you, Steve and McKeller don't believe he is involved but my gut tells me otherwise and you have always told me to follow my gut until I am satisfied in a suspect's guilt or innocence, no matter who tells me I am wrong and that's what I am doing."

"Then why steal the evidence?"

"I didn't steal it, Steve had evidence pertaining to our case in his pocket when he was shot." Monica answered. "Evidence that I couldn't afford to fall into the wrong hands or else it would have jeopardized our case."

"Evidence like the gun you left behind in Keller's hospital room in their evidence locker." Devlin growled, satisfied to see his agent wince and nod, "So are you going to tell me why did you take the gun into Keller's hospital room? And don't you dare try and tell me that it was just a stupid rookie mistake because we both know you are far too experienced to make those type of mistakes."

Licking her lips nervously, Monica looked down at her lap before she looked back up into her still extremely angry and annoyed boss, "I…I tried to get into Steve's room to retrieve the slip of paper that Bardado had given him and to see if he was able to tell me anything about the shooting but I wasn't allowed near him. Even after I told the doctors and Stone that I am Steve's wife and showed them our marriage certificate, I was completely frozen out and Steve's room was made off limits to me. So I took a chance and snuck into Steve's room…" She swallowed hard and blushed, "And I know you probably won't believe me Sir, when I tell you the gun was a stupid rookie mistake. I didn't even realize I still had it with me when I entered the hospital until it was too late, so I hid it in a kidney dish, then Steve started to seize, I…I panicked and left it behind."

"And you decided to get it back?" Devlin asked quietly.

Monica nodded unhappily, "But I blew it. Stone was suspicious and after his kid visited this afternoon, I don't know why but his suspicions grew and he came over." Running a hand through her hair, Monica rose from her seat and paced across to the window and peered out at the darkness, "And you know the rest." Turning back to her boss, Monica reiterated, "But I still think Stone is a suspect and I know I am responsible for everything that has happened, Sir, I also think that by bringing Stone and Olsen in and allowing them to see everything we have collected so far could blow our case."

"I should kick your ass to the curb, Monica!" Devlin growled softly as he rose from his seat, "But if your gut keeps telling you that Stone still needs to be watched closely despite what the evidence shows so far, then I agree, we will give Stone and Olsen only the evidence they need to investigate the shootings and limit their knowledge about the rest of the case. As for your marriage to Keller…" Devlin shook his head and rubbed his fingers against the vein in the middle of his head as he walked to the door and opened it before turning back to his agent and ordering softly. "We will talk about that and whether you and Keller will remain on the case tomorrow after I have had some time to think about it. I expect to see you in my office before our meeting with SFPD guys, got it!"

"Got it, Sir!" Monica answered meekly, jumping as the Assistant Director walked out and slammed the door behind him. Turning back to face the room, she leaned against the door and sighed. She had just blown it, big time!

 


	14. Chapter 14

The sound of soft footsteps near the bed pulled Mike out of the light doze into which he had drifted and he slowly opened his eyes to watch as the nurse began to change one of the bags that hung on the drip stand above the bed. Blinking in the soft, muted sunlight that was beginning to peek through the window, Mike stretched, unkinking the tight muscles that were beginning to protest against the uncomfortable night he had just spent dozing in the chair, as he asked croakily, "How is he?"

The nurse jumped slightly, momentarily startled by the soft voice behind her before she turned and looked at the man who had spent the night beside his partner's bed, "He's stable." Turning back to her patient as she began to check the multitude of tubes, wires and connected to Steve as she added quietly, "In fact, I think his condition might have even improved a little overnight but please don't tell the doctor I told you that." Mike nodded and smiled in relief as the nurse straightened up from her checks and turned towards him and smiled warmly, "I know you spent the night in that uncomfortable chair, I'm just about to make myself a cup of coffee, would you like one as well?"

Glancing down at his watch, Mike was surprised to find it was almost seven o'clock. He had just an hour to go home and change, maybe grab a bite to eat. before heading into the station for his and Rudy's briefing with McKeller. "Ah, no, but thank you." Mike smiled as he rose from his seat, "I really have to get going soon. But please, if there is change in Steve's condition…"

"You will be the first one to know." The nurse nodded as Mike watched her turn and leave the room, closing the door softly behind her.

Turning back towards the bed, Mike reached across the rails and took a hold of Steve's hand, "I have to go, Steve, Rudy and I have a meeting with McKeller to be briefed on what the Hell they dragged you into but I promise I will be back later and when I do, I want to hear more reports from the nursing staff and the doctors that you are getting better." Squeezing Steve's hand a little tighter, he swallowed hard, blinking back the tears that threatened to fall as he whispered, "You hear me, Buddy boy?"

He froze in surprise as Steve's fingers weakly curled around his hand.

"Steve, can you hear me?" he asked excitedly as he squeezed Steve's hand again, "Come on, Buddy boy, open your eyes for me." He waited for a moment, searching Steve's face for some sort of response before he sighed, uncertain if he had really felt Steve squeeze his hand or only imagined he had. He waited for another minute, hoping that maybe, just maybe Steve would open his eyes. Disappointed he released Steve's hand and lightly patted Steve's arm, "I will be back as soon as I can, Steve." He whispered before he turned and left the room.

Struggling to open his eyes, Steve turned his head towards where he had thought he had heard Mike's voice a few moments before. Opening his eyes, he blinked in confusion. It was dark, so dark that he was unable to see anything at all as he weakly called, "Mike."


	15. Chapter 15

Looking up from the report he was reading when he heard the light tap on his office door, the FBI Assistant Director glanced at his desk clock, not surprised that the agent was five minutes early as he called out, "Enter."

He watched as the door opened and Monica entered, closing the door firmly closed behind her before she crossed to the front of his desk. "You wanted to speak to me Sir, before our meeting this morning with the SFPD officers."

"Sit down." he growled. He waited until his agent sat down in the chair in front of his desk and tugged the black skirt she wore demurely over her knees. Placing his hands on the desk in front of him, he leaned forward as he glared at the young woman as he said softly, "You have some explaining to do."

Monica tried hard to maintain a neutral face as she looked across at her boss, "Sir?"

"Don't you dare play games with me, Monica, you know what I am talking about!" Delvin yelled, slapping his hand on the desk causing Monica to jump as he demanded, "I want to know about this damn marriage between you and Keller! I want to know if it's real or if it's a sham! And I want to know why I should shouldn't be kicking your's and Keller's asses to the God damn curb!"

Swallowing hard, Monica shifted on her chair under her boss's furious glare as she smoothed the lace ruffled front of her white blouse before licking her dry lips and nodding, "As I told you last night Sir, the marriage was necessary to help me get closer and gain more intimate knowledge about the suspects but as I also told you last night the marriage is not a sham. Steve Keller and I were legally married in that marriage ceremony in Las Vegas four weeks ago, our marriage certificate is real."

"Legally married?" Delvin stared at his agent, shocked, "Why?"

"Sir," Monica began slowly, "we know this case involves, police offices, lawyers as well as judges and even know we are still not certain just how high up the chain the corruption may run and both you and I know that if someone really wanted to dig deep enough to find out if we were married or not, there is always the chance that if one of them grease the right hands or whisper in the right ears, someone would let it slip that the marriage was not real and tip our hand…"

"So…" Delvin breathed in disbelief, "So let me get this right, so to protect this investigation, the two of you decided to get married. That seems a bit extreme even for you, Monica… and I am sure Stone would same the same thing about Keller."

Monica bit her bottom lip and looked down at her lap as she brushed at something on her skirt that only she could see.

"So, when did the two of you decided for the sake of the case to get married for real?" Delvin paused and stared suspiciously at his agent as Monica remained silent. Drawing a deep breath as he eyed his agent closely, Delvin asked softly, his tone carrying a dangerous edge that Monica knew better than to try and ignore with a lie as he repeated more softly, "Did the _both_ of you decide to get legally married, Monica? Or was it only your decision?"

"The marriage isn't permanent, it's just while we work the case to keep our cover intact," Monica answered evasively.

"Does Keller know the marriage is legal?" the FBI Assistant Director asked slowly between gritted teeth, already believing he knew the unpalatable answer he was about to receive.

"No, not yet, he was reluctant to go through with the marriage plan anyway," Monica answered truthfully before she added hastily, "But he hasn't got anything to worry about anyway, it's not like the marriage is going to be forever, I plan to get an annulment once the case is over."

"Shit!" Delvin muttered in disbelief as he stared at Monica, before he growled louder, "Shit! Just what the Hell have you done?"

"I did just what I had to do to be able do what you expected me to do when you first gave me the case, Sir, I am investigating this case," Monica answered as they heard a knock on the door. Glancing at the door before she looked back at her boss, Monica added softly, "and I am using every means possible to do so, just as you taught me."

SOSF SOSF SOSF


End file.
